Ric Flair readies for Wrestlemania with his long career at stake

Thursday

Mar 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2008 at 8:37 AM

When 16-time World Heavyweight wrestling champ Flair steps into the ring at Wrestlemania XXIV on Sunday, he’ll not only be going up against the man he’s mentored for years, he’ll also be putting his career at stake.

Ed Symkus

When 16-time World Heavyweight wrestling champ Flair steps into the ring at Wrestlemania XXIV on Sunday, he’ll not only be going up against the man he’s mentored for years, he’ll also be putting his career at stake. At least that’s how the storyline goes: If Shawn Michaels pulls out a win over Flair, Flair must retire.

Flair — real name Richard Fliehr — has been a bright light in the sport of pro wrestling since he first took a lesson from Verne Gagne in 1972. The long blond hair (ideal for when Flair splits his forehead open during battle, and “puts on a crimson mask”), the wonderfully gaudy floor-length robes, the brazen attitude, the technical skill, the grasp of in-ring psychology — all of this has earned Flair the respect and admiration coworkers, and the cheers of crowds over the years. A plane crash in 1975 broke his back, but he rebounded and has been going strong ever since. He borrowed his nickname “Nature Boy” from the great wrester “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.

Recently named as a new inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame, Flair took some time last week to share some thoughts about the business that’s made him an international superstar.

When did you first seriously think about becoming a pro wrestler?

In 1972. That was the year I started. I always liked it as a kid. I wasn’t over the top, but I did enjoy it. I met and was living with Ken Patera, who was an Olympic weightlifter. Ken had moved to Minneapolis with the arrangement that [wrestler and trainer] Verne Gagne would sponsor him for the ’72 Olympic games in Munich. Then, when he came back, hopefully with the gold medal, as the world’s strongest man, he would become a pro wrestler.

So that’s how you hooked up with Verne and started training?

Yes. I’d met him before, and he knew that I’d gone to University of Minnesota to play football, and I basically flunked out of school, which is the bluntest way to put it. I didn’t actually flunk out, but I wasn’t able to compete anymore because I didn’t have a grade point that allowed me to. So I just dropped out of school. When Verne talked to me about wrestling he said, “I don’t accept quitters into this school. So if you start, you’re gonna finish.” I said that was no problem. But it was so hard, I quit twice. The first time I quit, he came over to my house and threw me out in my front yard and beat the crap out of me. I don’t mean he punched me, he just threw me around. He said, “I told you that you weren’t going to quit and I’m telling you again now.” So I went about two more weeks, and it was so hard I quit again. I just didn’t go. He didn’t come to my house, he just called me and said, “You be here in the next hour.” So I went back out there, and the rest is history (laughs).

What was so difficult for you?

I never envisioned the conditioning aspect of pro wrestling. I had no idea. The first day we got there, we were running two miles at his farm, doing 500 free squats, 200 pushups — I about died the first day. I never thought about the conditioning. I just thought, hmm, pro wrestling … you just jump in the ring. I sure was wrong.

You’ve said in the past that Rick Steamboat was the greatest wrestler you ever competed against. Does that still stand?

That still stands. But the problem with that statement now is that — as an example — there’s nobody better in the business than Shawn Michaels, who I’m wrestling at Wrestlemania. But if I can’t bring that out of Shawn Michaels, then he can’t be that. I could bring it out of Steamboat. So it’s up to me to carry my end of the show, so Shawn Michaels can be who he is.

What’s your opinion of the way Vince McMahon has run his wrestling company?

Not only is he a genius, I’ve never seen anybody that will tackle anything at any level, and never flinch. Even when you know he has to be hitting it a little bit, or taking it from somebody, or whatever goes down because we’re wrestling. The media wants to be as bad as they can be to us, which they are sometimes, for no reason at all, but he never takes his game face off.

You’re popular and respected in the business, and have reaped plenty of rewards. Has there been a downside?

No. I wish I’d stood up for myself a couple time in the ’90s, which I didn’t do. But other than that, the only problems I’ve had in this business were self-inflicted. Confidence problems.

Are you in any pain?

Not at all. I feel great.

So many wrestlers talk about nagging aches and pains every day.

Here’s what I say to some of them. What are you hurting from? What did you do yesterday that’s making you hurt today? We’ve got some 24-year-old kids that are talking about being hurt. But there’s no sympathy, man. You can’t approach a sport and be whining at 24 years of age. If you are, then you’re in the wrong business. I have all the respect for the older guys who have had injuries and hip replacements and knee replacements. I’m talking about the difference in the young attitudes now as opposed to the older ones.

You’ve said that you didn’t have a game plan till you were healing up after your plane crash. What was that plan?

The plan was to pattern myself after [former wrestling champ] Buddy Rogers. And I’ve tried to stick to it. I’d met Buddy several times. He was in a class by himself back then. The thing that motivated me about Buddy was the clothes he wore and the way he carried himself. It had nothing to do with his personal life or his work ethic or ring ethic. He was a good performer, but when I patterned myself, I wanted to be the most immaculately dressed guy, I wanted to have the flashiest outfits, I wanted to make a statement when I was in the building or out of the building.

You’ve been in political circles. You rode the Spirit of America with George Bush Sr, and until recently, you put your support behind Mike Huckabee. Have you considered a post-wrestling career in politics?

Yeah, I have. In fact I almost did it four years ago. The Republican party in North Carolina has asked me to get involved a couple of times. It’s funny, it wouldn’t bother me, but there’s the scrutiny of the media — and I’ve got a lot of skeletons (laughs). This thing with Governor Spitzer in New York … when I was on my book tour, he was in the green room with me, and he was really arrogant then. I thought, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” He was waving that attorney general flag around like he was pretty full of myself. So I wasn’t really surprised. I’ve never gotten involved in anything like that (laughs), but I’ve certainly had a good time over the years.

What did you get out of campaigning for Huckabee?

I remember saying to him, “Mike, you’re too honest to be the president.” He took that as a compliment, but he is. Mike Huckabee says what he thinks, and what he thinks he believes. He’s never wavered on his beliefs. If they ever tried to attack him, there’s nothing to attack him on, except his opinion. Nobody has said his opinion’s right. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s his opinion.

Now you’re sounding like a politician. I think you’d be great at the job.

I do, too. I just don’t want to go through all the crap to get there (laughs). I would change North Carolina around drastically (laughs).